17th SFS and 17th MDG team up for National Drug Take Back Day Published May 6, 2014 By Senior Airman Michael Smith 17th Training Wing Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 17th Medical Group and 17th Security Forces Squadron teamed up to host the biannual drug take back event at the Exchange here April 26. The Drug Enforcement Administration nationally sponsors this event with the goal of providing a safe, convenient and responsible means of medication disposal. According to Capt. Jin H. Kim, 17th MDG Diagnostics and Therapeutics flight commander, base personnel, especially students, were encouraged to dispose of unused prescription or over the counter drugs. The event is part of an ongoing DEA national initiative and was completely anonymous. All Team Goodfellow members were invited to bring their expired prescription and over the counter medicine, for disposal in a safe, environmentally friendly and legal manner. "We do this because a lot of people don't know how to properly dispose of medicine," said Airman 1st Class Sangyoon N. Chung, 17th SFS patrolman. "These events give them the opportunity to do it correctly, instead of flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash." Since the first drug take back event held in 2010, the DEA has helped safely dispose over 1,500 tons of pills. The next drug take back date is tentatively scheduled for October. For more information about drug disposal or the next take back, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/.
